Shudder Saturday: They Live In The Grey (2022)

Michelle Krusiec plays Claire, a social worker who is also clairvoyant, a "gift" that has her constantly on edge. She is plagued by visions in her own home, where she lives alone after separating from her husband (Ken Kirby), and also feels very much weighed down by the grief of losing her only child. When tasked with evaluating the home life of a young girl (Sophie, played by Madelyn Grace) who has been developing lots of bruises and scratches, Claire soon sees a woman (Mercedes Manning) who may well be a spirit causing the problems. Despite Sophie's parents (played by Ellen Wroe and Bernard Bullen) being aware of their problem, it's not the kind of thing that most people can accept, or believe, which means that they may still see their child taken away by the Child Protection Service.

Written and directed by Abel and Burlee Vang (who were last behind the camera for the silly, and fairly average, Bedeviled), They Live In The Grey is quite a step up for the film-making duo. It's well put together, the acting is excellent throughout, and it tries to mix some standard jump scares with a sense of melancholy throughout, especially when we see flashbacks to Claire's happiness before tragedy strikes.

Sadly, this is also a bit too derivative, and the runtime (just a shade over two hours) doesn't help. I am sure you can already figure out the modern cinematic works that this calls to mind, which saves me from naming a couple of them, but that wouldn't be so bad if the third act felt stronger. Knowing what the movie is aiming for, however, makes things a bit predictable and disappointingly neat and tidy.

Krusiec is very good in the main role, able to convey the sense that she is struggling to help people while constantly having to evaluate her surroundings and keep track of what is real and what isn't. Grace puts in another decent performance, already impressing me with her range displayed in this and Don't Breathe 2. Wroe and Bullen do well to avoid going too big with their performances, especially considering one or two of the main scenes that they're involved in. Kirby delivers a decent supporting turn, Manning is an enjoyable spirit, and there are some more good moments that feature the likes of Kevin Indio Copeland and Krystle Martin.

There are more positives worth mentioning. The music by David Williams is a very appropriate accompaniment to the visuals. There's some crisp and lovely cinematography from Jimmy Jung Lu (although some moments are deliberately "murky" as characters struggle to stay away from potential frights). Nothing feels mishandled when it comes to the technical side of things.

I'd definitely recommend this to horror movie fans. Just be warned that you need to have a bit of patience with it, and you might not be happy at how familiar it feels at times. It's definitely well done though, and I think the main storyline and the well-staged scares outweigh the negatives.

7/10

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Shudder Saturday: The Bone Box (2020)

The only feature film, to date, written and directed by Luke Genton, The Bone Box is a slightly messy affair that doesn't quite make you forget the low budget. Yet there is definitely enough here to enjoy, and to mark Genton out as someone worth keeping an eye on.

The plot sees young Benji (Aaron Schwartz) in some dire financial trouble. So dire, in fact, that he has indulged in a bit of grave-robbing. Viewers don't have to see this macabre act, they are told of it as he discusses things with his friend, Elodie (Michelle Krusiec). Helping his elderly Aunt Florence (Maria Olsen), Benji may be an opportunistic and horrible scammer, or he may be genuinely trying to help out as he also attempts to dig his way out of a hole. Things get worse, and creepier, when Benji starts to suspect that he is being visited by the spirits of those he has robbed.

Let's not pretend otherwise here, there's more than a touch of The Conjuring and Insidious about the execution of this material. Genton peppers the film with a mix of subtle moments and enjoyable "boo" jump scared, the latter becoming more and more prevalent in the enjoyably busy third act, where more and more dangers are added to the mix and you know everything is due to bite the lead character on his ass, as it were.

Schwartz does a decent enough job in his role. He responds well to the moments that induce fear in his character, and he manages to be surprisingly easy to like for someone taken to a bit of grave-robbing. Krusiec is a very good co-star, being an excellent best friend, the type who can accept all your failings, but also try to warn you against making things worse. And Olsen, a familiar face to genre fans, has what I think may well be her best role yet, and one she relishes accordingly, in the form of the elderly aunt, blissfully ignorant of the worst things happening around her.

It is very much a "paint by numbers" horror movie, and those who aren't fans of the supernatural shenanigans we have had from the likes of James Wan and Leigh Whannell should just avoid it, but being so competently put together, even if a bit familiar and predictable to some, isn't terrible, especially when you have sat through so many lesser movies that try to do the same thing and fail.

7/10

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